There is no country like Pakistan

Agha Riaz, Chief Sub-Editor/Reporter

Under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, we have got the precious gift from Almighty God in the shape of Pakistan as a country. It was a Thursday and he chose the 14th day of August as the date of the ceremony for the transfer of power to an independent country, Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The day of independence was Ramadan 27, the holy month of Islamic calendar.

It is my belief that “there is no country like Pakistan in the world.”

It is because we (Pakistanis) are enjoying all seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn) and are 36^th in the world in terms of size, as per the United Nations Statistics Division data.

In summer when people of Jacobabad, the city in the southeastern part of Sindh province and one of the hottest cities in the country, bear stifling 52ºC heat, at the same time one can find 0ºC in our Northern parts, Gilgit-Baltistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Pakistanis are enjoying all types of fruits, specially mangoes, oranges (kinnow), dry fruits (some of them are the best in the world) and vegetables. We have the best quality rice, wheat, pulses, corn, sunflower and most important, that adds sweetness in our life, ‘sugarcane.’

Pakistan’s sporting excellence is often concentrated in cricket, but the nation now has 11 Olympic medals across men’s hockey, men’s wrestling, and men’s boxing. The nation sent a contingent of seven athletes to Paris this year for the Olympics.

Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem stunned the world and won millions of hearts in his country after bagging the Olympic men's javelin title in Paris on Thursday, his country's first individual gold at a Summer Games.

Nadeem threw an Olympic record of 92.97 metres for victory, India's defending champion Neeraj Chopra took silver with 89.45 while Grenada's Anderson Peters claimed bronze with 88.54m.

The 27-year old father of two beat defending champion Neeraj Chopra in the men's javelin on Thursday in Paris with an Olympic record 92.97-metre throw, the sixth best ever.

His triumph is seen by Pakistanis as all the more impressive since Nadeem was born and raised in a mud brick house in an impoverished corner of rural Punjab. As a young man, he trained in wheat fields with homemade javelins.

Nadeem's home village erupted into rapturous celebrations after he clinched Pakistan's first Olympic medal in athletics, winning gold in the men's javelin and knocking defending champion Neeraj Chopra of India into second place.

Apart from sports, Pakistan is quite rich in flora as well. Well, I am coming to sweet smelling plants in our country. There are more than 100 types of flowers that are cultivate especially the wide range of roses gardens. In Pakistan there are more than 10 types and colours of roses. We are cultivating different species all widely grown for their beauty and fragrance and also some rose plants of different sizes.

Now some key points of our country’s geographical position. As you know, Asia is the most populated continent in the world. Its top two main heavyweights China (borders in the north) and India (to the east) are our neighbouring countries. Pakistan serves as a major trade route for countries such as China, Afghanistan and Iran.

From beautiful landscapes to a vibrant economy to a talented workforce, Pakistan has a lot to offer to the world. No wonder a large number of tourists keep flocking to the country. Welcome to Pakistan!